Colts QB Brian Hoyer makes 1st start in more than 2 years

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 1:12 p.m. ET

With Indianapolis Colts quarterback Jacoby Brissett out with an injured left knee, Brian Hoyer was set to make his 38th career NFL start with his sixth different team — and his first in more than two years.

Hoyer's start against the visiting Miami Dolphins on Sunday marks the QB's first appearance from the get-go since October 2017, when he went 4 for 11 for 34 yards with the San Francisco 49ers.

It won't help Hoyer and the Colts that four-time Pro Bowl receiver T.Y. Hilton was going to miss his second consecutive game with an injured calf.

Rookie cornerback Rock Ya-Sin starts in place of the injured Pierre Desir for Indianapolis, while the Dolphins have their own issues. They lost leading receiver Preston Williams with a season-ending knee injury in last week's game and No. 1 cornerback Xavien Howard with a season-ending injury the previous week.

In Pittsburgh, the Steelers will face the Los Angeles Rams with a banged-up backfield.

Running backs James Conner, Benny Snell and fullback Rosie Nix are all out with injuries for the hosts. That leaves Jaylen Samuels and former practice squad players Trey Edmunds and Tony Brooks-James as the top options for the Steelers against a Rams defensive line that includes former University of Pittsburgh star Aaron Donald. Steelers guard Ramon Foster is also inactive for a second straight week while recovering from a concussion suffered against Miami on Oct. 28.

The Rams were without wide receiver Brandin Cooks, who has a concussion.

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